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<a href="../index.html" class="navigation contents">Table of Contents</a>
From <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11339" class="navigation">
Aesop's Fables, translated by V. S. Vernon Jones, illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
From Project Gutenberg</a>
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<h2 class="title">THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE</h2>

<div class="instructions">
Hover over the <span class="picturedef">highlighted</span> words for a picture of that word.
Hover over the <span class="bordered">image highlights</span> for an explanation of the story.</div>

<ul id="town_mouse_country_mouse_image">
<li><a href="#nowhere" class="bordered townmouse"><span class="tip">
Town mouse: Lives in luxury but cannot enjoy it.</span>
</a></li>
<li><a href="#nowhere" class="bordered countrymouse"><span class="tip">
Country mouse: can only afford a simple life but enjoys it.</span></a>
</li>
</ul>

<div class="story">
A <span class="picturedef town">town</span>
 <span class="picturedef mouse">mouse</span>
 and a Country <span class="picturedef mouse">mouse</span>
 were acquaintances, and the
Country <span class="picturedef mouse">mouse</span>
 one day invited his friend to come and see him at his
home in the fields. The <span class="picturedef town">town</span>
 <span class="picturedef mouse">mouse</span>
 came, and they sat <span class="picturedef down">down</span>
 to a <span class="picturedef dinner">dinner</span>
 of barleycorns and roots, the latter of which had a
distinctly earthy flavour. The fare was not much to the <span class="picturedef taste">taste</span>
 of the guest, and presently he broke out with "My poor dear friend,
you live here no better than the ants. Now, you should just see how
I fare! My larder is a regular horn of plenty. You must come and
stay with me, and I promise you you shall live on the <span class="picturedef fat">fat</span>
 of the land." So when he returned to <span class="picturedef town">town</span>
 he took the Country <span class="picturedef mouse">mouse</span>
 with him, and showed him into a larder containing <span class="picturedef flour">flour</span>
 and oatmeal and figs and
</div>
<div class="storybottom"> <span class="picturedef honey">honey</span>
 and dates. The Country <span class="picturedef mouse">mouse</span>
 had never seen anything <span class="picturedef like">like</span>
 it, and sat <span class="picturedef down">down</span>
 to enjoy the luxuries his friend provided:
but before they had <span class="picturedef well">well</span>
 begun, the <span class="picturedef door">door</span>
 of the larder <span class="picturedef open">opened</span>
 and
some one came in. The two Mice scampered off and hid themselves in
a <span class="picturedef narrow">narrow</span>
 and exceedingly uncomfortable <span class="picturedef hole">hole</span>
. Presently, when all
was quiet, they ventured out again; but some one else came in, and
off they scuttled again. This was too much for the visitor.
"Good-bye," said he, "I'm off. You live in the <span class="picturedef lap">lap</span>
 of luxury, I can
see, but you are surrounded by dangers; whereas at home I can enjoy
my simple <span class="picturedef dinner">dinner</span>
 of roots and <span class="picturedef corn">corn</span>
 in peace."</p>
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